It has been an eventful year for the Raj Bhavan here. The office of the Governor has never been in news as much as it was during the last one year. The tenure of Governor Banwarilal Purohit, who has completed a year at office, has been repeatedly hogging the limelight for both good and bad reasons.

Banwarilal Purohit gives away an award during the postal awards function at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Chennai:

Be it the latest arrest of Nakkeeran magazine editor, his statement on appointment of Vice-Chancellors to the State universities and subsequent flip-flop or the allegation of a sex racket in Madurai Kamaraj University, Raj Bhavan personnel have had some tough PR job to do. 

Even Purohit’s predecessor and incumbent Maharashtra Governor Vidyasagar Rao had courted his own share of controversies, but never so consistent like Purohit, who is also being attacked personally by the opposition parties in the State. 

Rajya Sabha MP and DMK organising secretary R S Bharathi said, “The State has been witnessing Governor’s excesses only after the BJP formed government at the Centre. We are now witnessing it in Puducherry and New Delhi too.” 

“We have a Governor who called out corruption in public and denied it a day after the CM met the Prime Minister. We have a puppet AIADMK government remote-controlled by Delhi. It will change only after the Central government changes,” he said.

Echoing Bharathi’s views, CPM leader T K Rangarajan said, “The Modi regime is using Governors to capture power in non-BJP ruled States. The Governor is only executing the task given to him.” 

Wondering as to why Governors don’t hold review meetings in BJP ruled States, he said, “Is democracy flourishing there? Over 200 encounters have been recorded in UP, did the Governor there respond?” 

The Rajya Sabha MP added, “Governor’s post is an unwanted ornamental one in a federal setup. Why do we need a Governor when there is an elected government? Let them amend the Constitution and elect Governors. None of the controversial Governors will even win a panchayat ward election.”